Inspiration from a DVD rental

If you're looking for something to give you that extra push of motivation that will get you through the long hours of running that training for a half marathon or marathon requires, then you should rent Running on the Sun. This film documents the trials and tribulations of forty runners as they attempt to complete one of the most difficult and dangerous races in the world: The Badwater. The race is a grueling 135 miles through Death Valley in the July heat, through sand storms and up miles of mountains. The race has to be completed in less than 60 hours; to get the "belt buckle," the coveted finisher's medal, you must finish in less than 48 hours.
I never realized the things that can happen to the human body under such pressure; then again, I also never realized how much a person could push himself to achieve a feat like this. The runners are what everyone would call "runners," but not necessarily what you would call "athletes." They're regular people, just like you and me, who set out to do something extraordinary. They were men and women, and they ranged in age from mid to late 20s to a man who was 68. They came from several different countries. Most of them were blue collar workers. One was a New York Times journalist. One was a United States Marine. Two men were amputees.
It was incredible to see who made it the entire distance, and who was taken down by the elements. While the young Marine succumbed to the heat and became so dehydrated that he had to be given an IV, therefore disqualifying him, a man whose right arm and leg were lost in a land mine crossed the finish line before the 60 hour time limit.
If that doesn't motivate you, then I don't know what will.